E is for Escher....
I have finished my E socks, the fifth part of the UK Sock Knitters A-Z-a-long on Ravelry. When I started this challenge, I thought that I might knit a few pairs of the socks along the way...I didn't think that I'd manage to do the whole challenge of 26 pairs in the year.
So...I am rather pleased with my self and my little 2.25mm Knit Pro Symphonie circular needles for 'turning out' 5 pairs of socks by 13th March!


Without further ado, I present Escher Socks.

The pattern comes from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn and it is one of my favourite sock books. I think it is a really interesting read and I love the section where it explains how yarns pool and how you can change the way they do in fact pool. 

I already had the book when I purchased the yarn. It was a sock club yarn, a cashmere/merino/nylon mix by the Knitting Goddess in the colourway Speckled Egg. 

The socks only took 62g of yarn and they were a quite simple knit, however, I do have to admit that I began to suffer from a bit of boredom on the foot of the second sock. It seemed to take forever!

I've also been busy this month with knitting my 3rd shawl for the knit 11 shawls in 2011 challenge.

The yarn is yet another Knitting Goddess sock club yarn, this time merino/nylon in the Goddess Ops colourway. 

Ops is a fertility goddess and is very much linked to all things 'earthy' so I wanted that to reflect in the choice of  pattern. I therefore used a lace pattern from a shawl called Wheatsheaf Shawl from Issue 28 of the knitting magazine called Yarn Forward. It is a KAL media publication, but has recently changed it's name to Knit. 

This shawl unfortunately, is not staying with me. It is being gifted to my mum's cousin's wife as a present from my mum. I told her that I had yarn to use up and wanted to knit some shawls but that as I also had over 10 of my own, maybe I could do with knitting some up to give away. It's somewhat typical then, that the one I knit first, I actually want to keep! lol

I love the colours and am happy with how this worked out. 

My next installment of the mystery blanket has arrived so from the 15th onwards I'll be knitting on the next 5 squares. I'm still plugging away at a cushion cover for my mum for mother's day and I am really enjoying it. I am­ ¾ of the way up the front.

 I've also just cast on my 'F' socks, so once again this rabbit's needles are going to be smoking.

I hope all is well out there in blogland and send out my thoughts and wishes to anyone who has been affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan....

Until next time, take care and please feel free to Rabbit On.....

It's a mystery...oh it's a mystery...
No I haven't dropped back into the 80's and turned into Toyah! It's all about one of my latest knitting projects. Last year I joined up to the Debbie Abraham's Mystery Blanket club.  Debbie is a rather lovely lady, I've met her a couple of times, and she is also very talented when it comes to designing all things 'blankety'.

You do not know the colours used or the theme when you join, but the yarn you get is all Rowan yarns so good quality. Then each month, you wait to stalk the postie and when he does arrive with your monthly package, you snatch it off him like a giddy child and ooh and ahh when you open it and see the patterns for the 5 squares that you have to knit during that month. If you have no self control, you cast one on immediately, however, you can wait as you have all month to knit the 5 squares given. Last years blanket had a theme of Beneath the Sea as you can see from the pic to the right. The squares are sent out in such a manner that it isn't totally obvious what the blanket will look like until you are about halfway through, which really keeps the enthusiasm going.
Last years involved a lot of Intarsia which I'm not so brilliant with, a lot of textured cables, beadwork, sequins and slipped stitch striped patterns.
I wasn't overly keen to begin with but as it progressed and I could mattress stitch some of the squares together, I started to love it and it now sits proudly on the spare bed in the back bedroom who's door we keep open and I can peek at it every time I go upstairs!

So that's last year's done.....and yes, I have joined up to this year's too. It is totally different both in colour and yarns used. Last years was mainly Rowan Wool Cotton, Pure Wook DK and Luxury Cotton Silk. This year's is so far mainly Rowan Cotton Glace and a new to me yarn, Rowan Purelife Revive which I have to say I adore.
This year, the blanket is also very heavily beaded so I expect it to weigh a ton when finished. The good thing about this one tho, is that the colours will match very well with either my living room or my bedroom.
You can see a sneaky preview of the first 4 completed squares below.


Click on the pic to make it bigger.
Well folks, that's it for this week's update....I have to finish my B socks so that I can cast on my C socks as I am a few days behind schedule due to working extra hours at work last week...one sock done, one done halfway up the foot.
Have a great week everyone and as ever feel free to Rabbit On....

Out with the old.....
...and in with the new.....
Well hasn't it been a long time since I posted on here? 2010 kidnapped me and took me away from bloggerland...to be fair it was mainly Ravelry that took me away!
One other major thing that got in the way in 2010 was...Life....it seriously sucked me in on a number of occasions, spun me around and knocked me for six, but...I guess there is too much Doom and Gloom in this world already, so I will leave those episodes in the vault and concentrate on 2011.
I know that some of these things will follow me into 2011 with some gusto, but instead of allowing them to dictate what is going to happen this year, instead I'm just going to front them up and say 'Bring It On!'


So, as I said....Ravelry stole me away from Bloggerland and the whole world of Knitting and all things Yarny, seduced me even more than the year before and thus I didn't do a lot of stitching. Because of this, I forgot to update my blog with the things I had finished as without even using one single brain cell....I automatically uploaded them to Ravelry instead.


For those of you who are on this incredible site, you can see all my finishes here if you haven't already got me as a friend.


For those of you that are not on there, please find below a little collage of various finishes.







They include a lot of shawls as I took on the challenge of knitting 10 in 2010. The bottom 4 pictures are of the item I was most pleased with, a rather charming little jumper from the wonderful Stitch in Time Book
For once I think I found an item of clothing that suited me and it goes with various pieces from my wardrobe and will get a lot of use.


If anyone would like any info on the shawl patterns then please leave a comment and I will endeavour to give you the info you need.


Enough about knitting.....my first finish of this year sees me going back to cross stitching. It's a little piece that I've had started for years and for some stupid reason didn't finish. It's a chart from a freebie that I can't even remember where I found it. The picture isn't fab as it's in the downstairs loo and there is no natural light in there.

It's stitched on a little hand towel that has a piece of aida type fabric across the width. Of course it features bunnies....what else I hear you cry, and no I have not yet knitted a jumper with bunnies on but I guess there's time yet!
It was really nice to get back into a bit of stitching and there will be more on the horizon. I want to finally finish the Mirabilia Autumn Maiden of the Season that I have had on the go since 2009.
I would also like to get Mirabilia's Royal Holiday finished for Christmas 2011 as again, I have had this on the go for a while.
It might also be a good idea to finish the Teresa Wentzler Millennium design that is virtually done. Only a comet and part of an angel left.

So...that's a rather short(ish) update on me. I am sat in my lovely conservatory complete with underfloor heating, knitting on yet another shawl, whilst wearing a home made knitted tank top and knitted socks, catching up with the Electric Sheep podcast, wondering whether or not I will get any readers to this post or whether indeed I have just dropped of the Bloggerland radar due to being AWOL!


So, if you are out there and are reading, then I thank you for not forgetting me, and as usual wish you well and ask you to feel free to rabbit on....

Yarn P0rn = Yarngasms...
I've had a lot lately....a lot!It's become an addiction but I just don't care! I love fondling yarn like I love playing with stitching threads and hand dyed fabric...I think it's all to do with colour...it soothes the mind I'm sure of it. So without further ado, I introduce you to my p0rn.

I bought the yarn from the following places...in order of how they appear in the slideshow...
Kaleidoscope Yarns I got the Colinette Jitterbug, the Berroco Sox and the Cascade Cotton Rich DK from here.
Black Sheep Wools Ltd I got the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran from here.
Create The Baa Tat Yarns are from here.
The Knitting Goddess My staple yarn supplier!
The Yarn YardThe purple Croft and the two Cream Sock Yarns.
The last photo is some Aran bought from a lcalish mill shop.
I am off to a Yarn Tasting event tonight at Baa Ram Ewe, so the s.e.x may continue...

Pram Buddies and Chocolate Caramel Shortbred....

What more does a girl need in life?
Remember my Mint Choc Chip Ishbel Shawl? Well I had some yarn left over and I thought I'd make some little pram buddies for my friend's newborn daughter.
So, without further ado, introducing from left to right....The Sockyarn Buddies©

Pepper, Coco and Minty.
The patterns used can be found in Jean Greenhowe's Knitted Animals Leaflet.
Originally the patterns use DK yarn, but all I did was change the needle size to a sock yarn size and I adapted the patterns to be knit in the round. They are seriously cute in real life if I say so myself and I had trouble parting with them today when I gave them to baby Annabella!

Last Thursday saw me attend my first knit night at Baa Ram Ewe It's a bit of a way to travel but I really enjoyed myself and met some really nice people. I am going again tomorrow night which brings me onto the shortbred mentioned above...
I have recently found a wonderful blog, namely Attic24. Lucy takes some STUNNING photographs and her crochet and other craftwork is no less amazing either. I find her blog a real inspiration and generally a great 'cheerer upper!'.
Well....Lucy posted some pictures of some gorgeous shortbred that she had made and generously posted the recipe. Now hear this...I am no baker, can I tell you that, but I thought I'd have a go yesterday in order that I can take some to knit night.
This is the result...

All I can say is mmmmmmmmmmmmm and . They taste seriously good...and all who have tasted them so far have asked for seconds!!! The caramel is divine. They are laden with calories, but I don't care!!! Batch two are being made tomorrow so that I can feed my work colleagues on Friday night, so if you fancy having a go, head over to Lucy's blog, pull up a chair and have a and prepare to be inspired.

In other knitting news, I have started a pair of Zigzag Anklets from Knitted Socks from Hand Painted Yarn This is a great book and I have already knit a pair of socks from it and have many more I want to knit. I am using a Merino/Tencel blend yarn from The Knitting Goddess in a sock club colour called Snail Corner.

This yarn is so soft it's beautiful. They are knitting up really well and will be a lovely light sock to be worn on warmer days. It is part of the August KAL in the UK sock knitters group on Ravelry.
That's it for now folks...I have more to share but it will keep until another day. Till then, take care and as ever feel free to Rabbit On....

I'll have a large scoop please...
I had a finish on the needles yesterday, my Mint Choc Chip Ishbel

This is how it looked prior to it being blocked!

This is how it looks in the two ways in which I will wear it. And yes a rare glimpse of me!!!!!
It was originally intended for mum, but when I saw the size of it, I think she will prefer the larger size so I will make one in a different colour for her and I will nab this one.
If I havn't mentioned before it is knit in Mint Choc Chip 4ply BFL by the Knitting Goddess and was a Ltd Edition yarn.
I posted a pic of my finish on Joy's Forum on Ravelry and to quote her she described the way that the yarn had knit up as

it’s like drizzles of chocolate sauce

As I said at the beginning of the post....I'll have a large scoop please...

Oooooh Betty...
Well actually it's more like Mmmmmmm Betty's! DH and I went to Betty's in Harrogate as a bit of a pick me up for me as I have felt yacky since the tonsils* were whipped out. It was my first time visiting Betty's and it wasn't a disappointment. It is so decadent and dainty and has a very special ambience to it. The staff are wonderful and the service 5 star. For those who know of it I and have been I am sure you agree, and for those who havn't experienced Betty's yet, I highly recommend it. I know it ain't cheap, but as a special treat you really can't beat the indulgence. It also has a shop attached which meant we had to buy something...

The biscuit type things in the packet are called Fat Rascals and they are to die for...seriously. They are like a scone, made with citrus peel, topped with cherry and almond. I do like my cakes, but I find half of a warm one with olive oil spread is delicious and enough!
The bag now holds one of my current knitting WIPs....Ishbel by Ysolda Teague. If you are on Ravelry you will know just how popular Ishbel is as well as the designer Ysolda. I am making this for my mum's 60th in August and am using a Ltd Edition Mint Choc Chip BFL yarn by The Knitting Goddess
So far so good...I am knitting the small size and am on the second lace section. It's a quick knit as I only stared it last night. I am as we speak knitting away on it in between paragraphs!

So onto things I have been up to since my last post. I have been buying more yarn and am excitingly awaiting some yarn p0rn from a site I just came across whilst on Ravelry. They are called Three Irish Girls . Their website was soooooooooooooooooooo seductive! I had a look at the brochure and I instantly got sucked in to the wonderful colourways. I can't speak for the quality of the yarn yet, but it is highly commended on Rav. I have ordered Grady, Madigan, Maeve, Maura, Clodagh, Florry and Nora in various weights and will post pics as soon as I get my grubby paws on them!

I have finished a couple of things too, namely...

The first ones are Pomatomus by Cookie A and are knit with Ocean Blue BFL by the Knitting Goddess. The second pair were knit as part of a Wimbledon Knitting challenge on the Knitting Goddess forum on Rav. The rules were simple...cast on when Wimbledon started, cast off when it ended. I didn't quite manage to finish on time due to the tonsillectomy* but they were finished fairly soon after. I used the Knitting Goddess Violet Meadow BFL as I thought the colours were very SW19! It is a freebie pattern from Wendy D Johnson called Feather and Fan.

I have also finished a couple of gifts...

The first pic shows a hat that I finished a while ago. I have recently finished the scarf as a companion piece. They will be going to my friend Jax for Christmas. They are really warm so I hope she likes them.

And finally...I also finished a baby cardigan for another friend who has recently given birth to a girl. I know that 'mum' likes bright colours so know she will appreciate the colour of the yarn. It is Hobby Print by Rico.


Well, that's it, oh except for the * you may have noticed. The tonsils did come out, it was like eating glass for a few days and has turned into the feeling you have when you get a bad sore throat. I have another week off work and then I will hopefully be fit and well again.
Later guys....

A long awaited Knitting HD...
...and quite a quick one too!
Way back in Nov 2005, I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate. There I saw at the Get Knitted stall, a wrap knitted in Cherry Tree Hill Lace Merino, in the colourway Peacock. I fell in love with it immediately, but alas, it was not to be as they were out of stock. However, they did say that if I went home and ordered on the Internet, they would throw in the wrap pattern for free. It is called Cloud Wrap by Sue Morgan. Well I promptly did order it and when it all arrived, dutifully cast on and started to knit it. Then I went off knitting for a while, so it got left in the cupboard until the end of last year when the knitting bug caught me again.
I then did 10 rows a day (missed some days due to other stuff) and I finally finished it 23rd March! I have worn it every day since around the home as it is so warm and takes off the chill without having to put the heating on!!!

Onto the quick HD...I cast on this hat just after I finished the wrap. It is called Ela's Favourite Hat and is from 101 One-Skein Wonders
It is knit in Noro Silk Garden shade 282 and is for a friend for her birthday. I finished it this morning...so definately a quick knit!...Thanks for looking...as always, feel free to rabbit on...

A Rotation Round-up...and a little S.E.X...
Hopefully, this will become a four weekly regular unless I get really excited over something in the middle of the rotation that I can't wait to show you!
Week one as some of you will know, saw the completion of the baby cardigan that had been languishing in the bottom of a bag for a couple of years. It also saw me pick up my Violet Green Entrelac Socks.
Week two saw me move onto stitching a wip and I made good progress on my Rabbit Run Sampler.
Week three was the Anything Goes week so I decided to finish my VG socks and boy do I lurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrve them! I like everything about them, the pattern was really simple and the colour IMHO is gorgeous. I then picked up a new start, my Nutkins which I also like a lot.
Week four was the beginning of the injury/bug/'I feel ill' week. It also saw me start a new cross stich piece, namely Mirabilia's Summer Maiden.
I am stitching this on Sugar Maple's Malory on 32ct lugana. As with Winter and Spring, I am leaving off the borders so it fits on a 13" x 18". I think the colours of the threads go really well with the fabric colour. Well, can I tell you, this baby stitches up fast. The pic to the right shows you a week's progress, bearing in mind the first day was stitched whilst my hand was in a sling (nothing keeps a crafter from her crafts!!) and the rest of the week, I have done no more than 3 hours a day, and they havn't been continuous. Seeing as this lady wants to be stitched quickly, I don't think she will take me long. I've bought some invisble thread today to use for the beads. I've not used it before so we will see how I like it.
So, I am now back to week one and have picked up my nutkins, but I have also added a new goal and that is to stitch 10 rows a day on another WIP regardless of what week it is. This adds approx 1" to the project which I need greatly!!
Oh...what is this project? Well it's a scarf I started after I bought the yarn back in Nov 2005 at the Harrogate Knitting Show. I fell in love instantly! The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill's Merino Lace in Peacock and the pattern is called Cloud by Sue Morgan. I have a long way to go as I am making a wrap which 1s 65cm x 176cm. Since the pic I have added 3".

Now,I have also acquired some new stuff, as well as the previously mentioned Debbie Bliss Stella, which arrived on Tuesday. Today saw the delivery of January's Ltd Edition CTH sock club installment. It is a Supersock Solid in a colour called Cornflower and it's very purty! You can see it here. I also bought a new book, namely Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitter's Guide. First impressions are that I will enjoy using it more as a book than as a knitting book if you catch my drift, although some of the patterns are growing on me...
I also ordered some Noro Silk Garden and will update with picks as and when it arrives and will be looking at some Rowan Tapestry once I've finished here. I am really pleased that I am enjoying both knitting and stitching as much as each other, despite the trapped nerve in my shoulder!
Ok...again I have Rabbitted on for ages...something I seem to be doing a lot lately. As always...til next time...

Positivity = Productivity
I could sit here feeling really sorry for myself as I am off work again and as I seem to wake up each day feeling more crap than the day before (stoopid throat thing has reared ugly head again)...however, I decided instead to be all 'Yayyyyy' and 'think Positive' about it all and had a bit of a de-clutter moment. This included dragging out my boxes of yarn...I know it was soooooooooo hard to have to sort through oodles of gorgeous yarn, but sometimes we have to do things like this! I found two bags that had been knitted out of Sirdar Funky Fur Magic, one in Indigo and one in Violet. They had been knit way back in the Autumn of 2005 and were intended for me and my God-Daughter respectively. They needed lining and I did in fact buy the lining but in my usual manner couldn't be bothered to 'finish' them properly.
Fast forward to yesterday and today. I felt like being productive so I got the big sewing needles out and made the bags up and then this morning dragged the sewing machine out and did the lining. The linings were quite a pig to put in but they do finish them of properly.

I'm not sure who I will give this one to...it should have been mine but I'm not sure if I want it now!

I really like how the lining looks on this one and whilst this wasn't for me originally, I might find it hard to give this one up, but I don't know what to use it for...suggestions on a postcard please (well OK on a comment will do since I don't advertise my snail mail address!)
Til next time.....

The PLAN seems to be working...
I mentioned a few posts back that I had a plan to organise my hobbies and stash. So far so good except I have changed the weeks in the plan around to suit my needs.
Week one was implemented and as a result I did finish a knitting WIP, namely the baby cardigan I posted about. I also then picked up my Violet Green Entrelac socks that I started in October last year. I made good progress on them and then went onto week two...

Week two saw me pick up my Rabbit Run Sampler. I didn't do too bad on a week and you can see the progress to the left. During this week I worked on the bottom row of rabbits, fully completing the right hand one and the grass underneath. I have yet to do the backstitching which I dislike doing since it's an Anchor design and I hate their BS charts. Since the pic was taken I have also started on a motif of carrots on the right hand side. I think that when week two comes around again, I will be able to finish the carrots so will only have a rabbit and some cabbage to do and it will be a finish!

Week three was changed to 'Anything Goes' and I decided to pick my Entrelac socks back up and hey presto! I finished them. They are knit in Regia Canadian Color in the Ontario colourway. I love how this yarn looks on this pattern. I was left with 36g of it after finishing so will put that to some good use in a future project I am sure. I then decided to start some socks that I had seen on Ravelry, namely Nutkin. As you can see from that page I am using some of the Rico Designs Superba. This pattern is knitting up very fast and as I am knitting two at a time I am halfway through the leg on each. I have til Thursday on this week so I think I will manage to get to the heel shaping on both by then.
Week four will see me start a new cross stitch piece. I have chosen Mirabillia's Summer Maiden of the Season as I have Winter on my wall at the mo, to be replaced by Spring on 21st March, so I need to get Summer and Autumn finished this year.

As far as the plan to use all my bath stuff, that's working great as well and I have already dispensed of one of my Christmas pressies and have moved onto the next. My hands are really benefitting from using the hand cream twice a day and I am rather pleased that I am keeping up with this goal too because I am developing space in my bath cupboard!

I have also kept up with my fitness, completing a run this morning. My Mini-me shows that I have only done 4 runs but I have actually done a 2mile and a 5.15 mile run but I messed up on transferring one over and the nano messed up on the other!. I was really tired this morning and was surprised to see that I had upped my pace. I had been out walking in the Lakes this weekend so my legs were tired, but maybe not as tired as I thought!
Well, I have rabbited on again...til next time folks...take care...

I am always in a Pod these days...
An i-pod that is! I was a lucky enough wife to receive an i-pod nano from my lovely DH for Christmas. It's not something I'd asked for, not something I needed or even wanted as I used my mobile for most things. However, his DBro persuaded him that I did need one and when I opened it on Christmas Day and saw that delicious purple and the slimness and slinkiness of it...I knew then I was hooked. It's sooooooooooooooooooo tactile and pretty and, as it's the 16GB version, it's got a lot going for it. It has become my new obsession...little did DH know that he would become a Pod Widow!
As I type I am downloading some more podcasts...something I have really gotten into. The one I started off with was Socks in the City I love Carrie! She has given me some good ideas about my sock knitting and thanks to her I have really renewed my interest in all things sock yarny and have since bought a few skeins as can be seen in my Ravelry stash page
Then having hear Carrie mention Lime and Violet so much, I have started to listen to them too!

It doesn't stop at podcasts tho...I have a new toy to go with my Pod...the Nike+ Sports Kit.
The observant amongst you (if you have the latest Flash player) may have seen a mini me running along in my side bar, jumping hurdles and punching some air. I kid you not, this piece of kit is A-Ma-Zing to quote Craig Revel-Horwood.
I seriously love this, it has made me want, nay need to go out running. I already had the trainers so all I do is pop in the sensor, choose my work out, stick the Pod in my arm band and away I go. I have done three runs so far, but I am slightly peeved that after a 5.3 mile run yesterday I accidentally deleted that workout before I had synced it to i-tunes, so I look like I am behind my schedule and my mini me shows me 5.3 miles less than I've done!
The Nike+ site is fab too and really motivating and I love the fact that you can have a Power Song to play when you are flagging a bit, just to give you that boost! I currently have Your Disco Needs you by Kylie Minogue...a power song if there ever was one!
So...that's the new obsession I mentioned yesterday...I am now off to listen to some more Lime and Violet...til next time feel free to Rabbit on...

A finishing frenzy...
Since my last post I have taken photos of some recent finishes. I stitched some little tote bags for the daughters of two of my friends for Christmas. They are from Charles Craft
The natural coloured ones are for a 7, 6 and 4 year old and the denim one for a 5 year old. They were all stitched using various threads from GAST, GAST Simply Shaker, WDW and Six Strand Sweets.
This is the 7 year olds. Her favourite colour is purple so that's why I chose the colours. I also bought some books to go in it, as I did with all the girls. The other bag with the purple border is for the 6 year old as she too liked purple but also liked yellow. The pale colours were chosen for the 4 year old as she liked pink! They are all quite head strong and know what they like! They didn't take long, about a week each. The letters I used are from Lizzie*Kate's A-B-Crazy
They were all stitched between the middle of October and second week of December so I did leave it a bit late to decide to make presents for people! I then bought the new Country Cottage Needleworks Garden Party series. I really like these designs and as I already have a set of Crescent Colours threads, I knew I would like stitching them. Being from England, I didn't want to put Ladybug so I altered the chart to say Ladybird. I did also sub out the spot colour to a black rather than the brown colour supplied in the kit. They are stitched on 28ct lugana and I hope to back them all in some fabric that co-ordinates with the borders and hang them in my downstairs WC on a pegboard.
Excuse the creases!


Then, once I had finished those (I have the other two on order) I decided to finish a baby cardigan that I had started years ago and never finished. A girl at work had a little girl on 4th Jan, so I am giving it to her. The body was knit in one piece until the stocking st and I knit the sleeves on DPNs to avoid the seam. This worked really well as they were drop sleeves, you just have to swap back to straight needles when leaving the marker for the sleeve extension.
I am caught back up with my knitting bug. It's down to buying some Knit Picks Harmony Needles from Get Knitted I love Get Knitted, they always parcel things up in a great way, and I also adore the DPNs.They are sooooooooo smooth and a joy to knit with.
Then thanks to a post on Ravelry, I was introduced to The Knitting Goddessand I bought some lush sock yarn from there. It can be seen in my Ravelry stash page.
Well I've rabbitted on for a while so that's all for now folks...I'll talk about my latest obsession another day...